Winter storm puts West Virginia on ice

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – County emergency management directors breathed a sigh of relief Monday morning when the winter weather system came through.

Jackson County OEM Director Walter Smittle was prepared for the worst. On Sunday afternoon, the storm was predicted to drop up to three-quarters of an inch of ice on his county.

“We had rain, then we had sleet and then a thin layer of ice over that,” according to Smittle. “Since [the storm system] moved further south we actually ended up getting less ice than they previously anticipated.”

There were a few accidents Sunday night in Jackson County but by Monday morning the ice was covered up with about 5 inches of snow and motorists were wisely staying off the roads.

In Webster County, OEM Director Richard Rose said the commute into work Monday morning was not a treat, but it wasn’t as bad at it could have been.

“Thankfully the front’s moved more southern of us and we’re not expecting to get the 8 to 12 inches of snow they originally predicted,” said Rose. Instead they got about 5 inches.

He stressed the DOH was able to make some headway Monday morning.

“The secondary roads are just now starting to be treated. It’s still pretty treacherous out,” according to Rose.

The concern for both county OEM directors is a big freeze overnight.

“If it does warm up enough [Monday afternoon], for the salt and stuff to work on the roads it definitely will refreeze again [Monday] night,” sighed Rose. “We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”

Smittle said he’s urging motorists to once again play it safe.

“You just have to use extreme caution, use common sense and stay in until it warms up,” Smittle stressed.

Temperatures are expected to reach the upper-30s on Tuesday and the mid-40s on Wednesday, quickly melting away what’s left of the snow and ice.